The Secret Rune
by TheCuriousCaseofHayleeEmma
Summary: What is Valentines biggest fear? Dying. And who has the secret to immortality? The Mayfield family. But twins Wyatt and Hadley will do anything to protect it. Told from Hadleys P.O.V. R&R please!
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, this is my first story! R&R please!**

**Prologue:**

Today, was suppose to be the best day of my little sister, Morgana Mayfield's, life. Today is the day she gets her first rune. It's also her 12th birthday. My twin, Wyatt and I got our first rune when we were 12, but it wasn't the type most Shadowhunters get. See, Morgana will be getting a rune only four other Nephilim in the world have. Wyatt, my mother Helen, father Morris, and I, are the four said people that have it, but we are not the only ones that know about it. We are Shadowhunters. We all got the rune at age 12, and it only lets us physically age to 21. We can not die, unless pure gold, is thrust threw our heart. This rune is for immortality…

**Let the story begin…**

**Chapter 1**

"Ready?" I whisper, glancing over at my twin, Wyatt.

He has pieces of his messy, un-brushed, honey blonde hair falling in to his eyes an his sky blue eyes meet my mint green ones. That's the only difference between our faces, our eyes.

"Ready when you are, Hadley." he says with a mischievous smile. I return the smile.

"One….Two….THREE!" we whisper-yell at the same time. Together we creep in to Morgana's room, lightly giggling. We have both had countless years of training and know how to enter a room with out making the slightest sound. I look at him and he looks at me.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" we yelled in unison.

Morgana's bright blue eyes (like Wyatt's) burst open with surprise. She looks at us in awl for a moment sprawling to sit up. Then, she starts laughing an we laugh with her. Her long, curly, dirty blonde hair (darker than ours but just like our mothers) messily frames her face.

"Today, you get your first rune!" I say, toying with a stray piece of my own hair.

Morgana gets up from her bed and walks over to her large vanity mirror, starting to fix her curls. "Does it hurt?" she asks us, still smiling but with a slight edge in her voice.

"Oh, a lot," I say mockingly. I look to Wyatt to back me up. Being twins and all, we always have a way of knowing what each other is thinking.

"Oh yeah," he said " It's AWFUL."

Morgana turns and looks at us a moment, stopping in mid brush. Then she smiles. She knows we are joking. Morgana has a gift. She can read peole like an open book, especially Wyatt and I. It's almost impossible to lie to Morgana. Almost.

Wyatt and I high five and leave to go get ready ourselves. I change out of my PJ's into a pair of my dark jeans, a dark purple V neck T-shirt, with a black tank top underneath it and black boots to match. I quickly brush threw my hair, and clip on my short silver necklace with our family crest cast on to the pendant. It rests inbetween my collar bones. I stop in the mirror and touch it with my fingers.

Our family crest is a shield that is split in to three. There is a lion in each of the three sections. It's nothing really special, but it reminds us of our past. All the Mayfeilds have one we where every day. Wyatt and mine are pendants, and while mine is on a sliver chain, his is on a thick leather cord. Helen, our mother, has a small silver charm of it which she keeps on a bracelet. Our father, Morris, has his on a silver coin he always keeps in his pocket. Morgana has hers on a pair of stud earrings she never leaves the house with out.

I turn and start to walk out in to the hall when something just outside my window catches my eye. I don't know why, but when a bright, fire red, Cherry tree leaf falls on to my window seal, a chill goes up my spine. Something is wrong, but I don't know what. Perhaps its part to the fact we don't have any cheery trees that I know of. I can't place it so I try to push it out of my mind and go in to the hall to meet Wyatt for Morgana's rune ceremony, softly closing the door behind me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

><p>"Why hello, there beautiful. Didn't I just see you in my mirror a moment ago?" Wyatt jokes as I walk out of my room. I shut my door behind me and turn to face him. He is leaning up against the wall just outside my room. He is wearing a slightly v-necked grey t-shirt, jeans, black and white Nikes and his family crest necklace. He combed out his hair and is also wearing a big smile on his face.<p>

"I was about to ask you the samething," I say continuing the joke with a fake smile. The leaf on the window is still fresh in my mind.

We walked down the hallway of our Victorian style mansion. Its an odd mansion, probably not the type most people think of. It's a Victorian house, and its absolutely beautiful. And judging I have lived here since it was built, that's saying a lot. Most people, once they have lived in a house for about 5 years, get tired of their house and want to move; change sceanery. But still every time I see the outside of our house, it still takes my breath away. The mansion is wide with long columns going up to the top. The columns have big protection runes ingraved into them them, and a base with a swirl like design. The columns come just below my parents room and hold uptheir balcony. Above their room the roof comes to a peek. On the inside of the peek, there are chiseled in designs. It kind of looks like the roof on the Parthenon, but with out the Greek gods, Monsters and stuff like that. Instead, there are Shadowhunters, Demons and Mundies, artfully sculpted in our roof.

Wyatt and I walk side by side down the red painted hall, and down the marble spiral staircase. Not talking, moving silently, stealthily, with out a sound into the kitchen, our strides insync. When we come into the kitchen the sweet smell of cinnamon fills my nose. I take a deep breath. Our mother has made her special cinnamon bread. Its her "family secret" she calls it, and its also Morgana's favorite breakfast.

"Good morning, children," Mother said, a slight bit of edge in her voice. It was barely detectable, but I heard it. She is dressed in an off white lacy button up shirt, black slacks, no shoes, and a blue apron over top. We don't really stick to Shadowhunter customs with the colors and such. Besides, we were alive before most of the current Clave was (accept for Morgana of course.); we follow our own rules.

"Morning!" Father says, a little to cheery. Somethings wrong with him too. He has on a plain white t-shirt, jeans, and his socks. He is lightly sipping some tea out of a mug, reading a book. I can also tell he is nervous because he has out his family crest coin and is flipping it between his fingers.

"Morning," We say, in harmony. I look over to Wyatt. His ice blue eyes are narrowed, his brows knitted. He looks at me as well and I know I have the same expression. _What's wrong? _we both ask with out words. I shrug, ever so slightly, just for him to see. With that we go to sit down at the table.

"Where's Morgana?" I ask.

"She will be down in a moment, Hadley." Mother says. I nod and pour Wyatt and myself some orange juice

Morgana comes down the steps a few minutes later. She has a worried look on her face. She is nervus about the rune I think. She walks slowly and comes to sit beside me.

"Here," Wyatt says and hands her a plate and glass of juice. Morgana nodds in thanks and we all start to eat.

Today, she has on a white lightly laced top, with elegantly sewn on black beads here and there along the neck line. She has on a pare of black jeans with white flats, and a black ribbon tied in to her long curly ponytail. Small curls not quite long enough to fit frame her exquisite face and bring out her light blue eyes. Morgana may only be 12, but she carries herself like an adult. She is just as classy as any of us, even if she was born 100 years later. It must be in the Mayfield family genes.

Which reminds me. The rest of us Mayfeilds really have no idea how old we are. My parents look 21, but in reality they must be around 300 or so. Wyatt and I look about 16, but I think we are about 150-200 or something like that. You see, the rune not only makes you immortal, but it also slows down how fast you physically age. We all got it at age 12, but after about 50 or so, you start to lose count of the years. Morgana told me that she was going to be the first Mayfield to keep up with her age. I hope she can.

We finish our breakfast, and go to start the rune ceremony. It's been so long since Wyatt and I had ours, I have almost forgotten how it went. We turn off all the lights and draw the curtains. No sunlight can come in, it could mess up the ceremony. So in place of the sun, we use candles.

"Hadley, go get the book," Mother says to me, while they are finishing lighting the candles.

I walk quickly to the library. The library is my favorite room in the whole mansion. There are books, upon books, upon books about any thing and everything. Our books range from, History, to farrie tales to the ocean to baking. You name it, and we probably have a book on it. I walk to center of the library and move aside the small coffee table. I lean down and pull out my boot knife, prying open on of the floorbords. Inside is a small leather book, not much bigger than my hand. I slowly take it out, carefull not to drop it. To be such a simple book, it is very dangerous. In the wrong hands it could cause more destruction and pain than any other book of its kind.

On a neatly folded piece of off yellowing parchment is _the_ rune. I have never tried to read the rest of it, and I'm not going to now or ever. To much power frightens me. I take the book back to the kitchen.

Morgana is standing nervously in the center of the room. No one is saying a word. I hand the book to Father and he slowly takes the book and unfolds the parchment.

"Ready Morgana?" he asks.

"Yes," she says and straitens her shoulders. I feel myself smile a little.

She holds out her arm and Wyatt and I position ourselves on each side of her. Fathers hand is shaking. His hands never shake. Something's terribly wrong. I look at Wyatt. He sees it too.

Morgana knitts her eyebrows. "Father, are you okay?" she asks. Mother looks worried as well.

"Yes, I am fine," he says. I hear the lie in his tone. Before I can say something, he places the stele on Morgana's arm.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

><p>Although the Immortal rune is very powerful it is also, in some ways, simple. Its look only consists of three, carefully drawn, coal black, figure eights linked together to create a triangle. Who would have thought the most prized rune in Shadowhunter history, was also among the most ordinary looking.<p>

Father starts slowly drawing the first figure eight on Morgana's upper arm, the place she chose. His hand is still shaking.

When runes are tattooed on your skin, they burn. Especially the permanent ones.

Morgana's eyes are tightly shut, but a sound never slips her lips. I admire her for her courage. When I got the rune, I never made a sound, but I desperately wanted to. Wyatt and I have our runes on the back of our shoulders. Mine on the left and his on the right. Morgana says she wants her a little more visible, and she thought it would not burn as bad on her arm.

Father is now starting on the second figure eight. When he is about half way through I hear a bang fom outside. It's not loud but he comes to a dead stop, his eyes growing very wide. I look at Mother. Her face has the same expression.

"Hadley, Wyatt-" she stats but is cut off by another bang right outside the window. This time it is considerably louder.

"Its him," Mother half whispers, grabbing on to Fathers arm tightly.

"Its who?" Wyatt and I ask at the same time. Even after 100 years, it still amazes me how we can do that.

"Take the children to the attic," Father replies calmly. "and stay there till I come and tell you it's safe."

"What is going on?" asks Wyatt.

"I can't leave you alone," says Mother a look of desperation on her face.

"What is it?" I ask as well.

"You have to, it's the only chance we have," says father a mix of sadness and determination blended in with his stern features. They wont answer us.

"HEY!" Wyatt and I yell in unison.

"What is going on? Stop ignoring us!" I yell at my parents and immediatly wish I haddn't. I have never yelled at them.

Mother looks over at us as if she just noticed we were in the room. She opens her mouth to say something, most likely to scald us about how rude we were just then.

But we never get to here what she was going to say.

An abrupt crashing is just outside the window again. Morgana backs up in to me, trying to get away from what ever it is. I grab her slender shoulders and push her behind me, just as the huge kitchen window explodes, sending razor sharp pieces of glass everywhere.

Even though nothing but gold can kill us, we still feel the pain of regular things. But we still heal at a very fast rate.

Tiny pricks of fire take over my body as the sharp shards of glass penetrate my back. I had bent over Morgana to protect her from the glass. I do not scream out, because I do not want to scare Morgana. I pull her away from me.

"Are you alright?" I ask her with some difficulty.

"Yes," is all she replies. She steps back and her blue eyes drift behind me. They lock there, growing very wide. I turn to see what she is looking at and find myself facing a tall broad shouldered man. He looks to be in about his 30's, but his hair is snow white. _Valentine Morgenstern . _He looks at Morgana and I, with a smirk. As if my cover of protection for my younger sister amuses him. I step infront of Morgana once more and feel Wyatts shoulder as he does the same.

"What lovely children you have, Helen," Valentine says, turning to face Mother. "Twins, right?" His hard eyes brush over Wyatt and I. I look at my brother out of the corner of my eye. He has shards of glass sticking out of the side of his face, making crimson blood run down his light skin and soak the collar of his shirt. I can feel the pieces of glass falling out of my back as the gashes heal. Wyatt's face is doing the same.

"Amazing," says Valentine. As quick as a blur he is over at Wyatt tightly griping under his chin turning his face to get a better look as the cuts heal with amazing speed. Wyatt tries to pull his face away, but Valentines grip is like iron.

"Let go of him!" Mother says, expertly bending Valentines arm causing him just the right amount of pain to get him to let go of Wyatt's face.

"Well then, Helen, sense you are so eager to get to business," says Valentine calmly, while rubbing his arm. He steps away from us and towards our Mother. His voice may be calm but his eyes are full of fury. "Where is it?"

"Where is what?" Mother asks innocently.

"Don't play stupid with me, Helen. Where is the book?"

Mother is silent. Valentine grabs her by the shoulder in his iron grip, and pulls out a long golden dagger, pointing it right at Mothers heart.

"I wont ask you again, Mayfield!" he says our last name like its poison on his tongue.

The next move Valentine makes go by my eyes so fast it's a blur in my mind.

Father grabs the parchment with the immortal rune on it, and the leather book and throws it in to the fire. Valentine stabs my mother threw the heart, pulls it out and throws it at my father, hitting him in the heart as well. It happens so fast, I don't even have time to scream.

"Seize the twins- " Valentine cuts short as his eyes fall on Morgana. A cruel smile spreads over is face. "and kill the younger one. She does not look old enough to have the rune yet."

At that moment my voice returns to me.

"NO!" I scream, my voice cracking. I un-freeze from my position looking at the golden dust remains of my mother and father, and start to run towards Morgana. She must have slipped away from me while Valentine and my mother were talking. But I am not fast enough. I am about half way there just as a silver blade slits my little sister throat.

A blood curdling scream fills the air, as I collapse onto my knees. Hot tears come in rivers down my face. I have just enough time to realize it was my own scream that I heard, when a excruciating pain shoots threw my head and the color of ink takes over my vision.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

* * *

><p>I wake to the sound of a boy screaming. My eyes fly open and I shoot upright. Bad idea. My vision immediately blurs and a searing pain shoots threw my throbbing head. I wait a moment, not moving, until the blurriness goes away and the pain subsides.<p>

I shake my head slightly and listen again, for the scream. Silence. After a minute or two I decide it's no use. For the first time since I awoke, I look around to see where I am. I am in a holding cell with chains and shakles on everywall. The floor, walls and ceiling are a very depressing color grey, and look to be stained with something. I think its blood.

I am chained to the wall and my wrists are bleeding from moving them to much. The shackles have holding runes crudely etched into them. I look down at myself. My once white and black boots are now covered in dirt, and some of the decorative buttons have been ripped off. My jeans have wholes in the knees and my shirt is tattered. I'm glad I have on a tank top under it.

It looks as if I was dragged in rocks, then covered in mud as a cruel joke. I feel like it too.

From looking down at myself I realize my lungs are screaming. I have been holding my breath subconsciously. I gasp, breathing in lungs full of air. Not like I could have died, but still.

Still panting slightly, my head jerks to the door. There are foot steps right outside my cell. I am chained on the far wall so I can't see out. I yank back to try and get a better look but its no use.

Two strong looking Shadowhunters come in holding a boy between them and I stop struggling. The boys head is bent down so I can't see his face and his hair has blood in it. They throw him against the wall on the other side of the room, strait across from me. They lock the shackles around his ankles and wrists and leave. Just like that.

I fear that the boy is dead, but then he rolls over to look at me. My heart skips a beat.

"Wyatt?" I say my voice trembling.

"Hadley," his voice is shaking as well. We both get up and reach for one another hand, but only our finger tips brush. I slump down hopelessly.

Hot tears burn my eyes, but I blink them back.

"What did they do to you?" I ask, watching the deep cuts close up on his arms. He has a pained expression.

"Valentine wanted to know how to use the rune. They-" he says his voice cracking. "They tried to torture it out of me. I didn't tell them anything,"

His eyes meet mine. We are thinking the same thing. _I'm next. _But nether of us say it. For what feels like hours we don't talk. Then we here the foot steps again.

I look at Wyatt and something like fear comes across his eyes.

This time, instead of Shadowhunters, Valentine himself comes in. He stands there, looking at me. I stare back in hatred and disgust. Valentine speaks first.

"Well, lets get right to the point. Tell me how to use the Immortal rune," Valentine demands.

"Now why would I give the instructions for my family rune, to the man who murdered my mother, father and sister. Then, had the audasity to torture my twin. Hum?" my voice dripping with sarcasm. My fear is gone. Now all I feel is hate.

"Tell me, Mayfield," He said with hostility. His eyes narrow.

"I'm afraid, we can not do that." Wyatt say with a mocking smile, but fear still wondering in his eyes. Fear for me.

"Very well. Perhaps Wyatt will tell me in exchange for you're life." Valentine says and pulls out a long golden dagger and starts to walk towards me. My pulse is racing. I look around for something to defend myself with, and my eyes come to rest on my shackles. If he could just get a little closer…

Valentine stabs the blade down, aiming for my heart. I roll over just in time and the blade strikes the concrete. I look to where it hit. He thrust it down so hard it left a hole in the hard floor. He really means to kill me. He hastily pulls the dagger out of the ground, and comes at me again.

"Tell me!" he bellows.

This time I block the stab with the wide metal of my shackle, bending my wrist just enough to where the blade misses my hand. Valentines other had comes across my face with a hard blow. It startles me for a moment, but then I'm back to defending my self. I hear Wyatt yell my name and see him yanking on the chains out of the corner of my eye.

Valentine stabs down with the blade again, and I lift the chain keeping me to the wall up and catch the knife in one of the links. I twist my arms so the chain wraps around the dagger and pull it towards myself. I kick out at him and make contact with his stomach. He staggers back, then smiles. It's a creepy, evil smile that sends chills down my spine. He reaches in to his coat and pulls out a gold throwing knife.

About four things happen at once. Valentine throws the knife, and I move to get out of the way but I am not fast enough and the knife embeds its self in to my shoulder, just below my collarbone.

A foot comes out from behind Valentine and he falls to the ground. A chain wraps its self around his neck and Wyatt has his knees on Valentines back holding him down while pulling up on the chain.

Wyatt's face is full of fury, as is Valentines. Wyatt's, out of love for the people Valentine took from him. Valentines from being outsmarted by two twins that look half his age. But in reality we have been training and fighting for 100's years. He underestimated us. I watch as consciousness slips Valentines eyes and they close. Wyatt lets go of the chains, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"You killed him," I choke out. Tears fill Wyatt's eyes as he looks at me. His hands are trembling as he searches for Valentines keys.

"I only cut off his air long enough to where he passed out," Wyatt's voice is strangely calm for someone with tears trailing his face. He unlocks his shackles and stumbles over to do mine. I open my mouth to say something but only a gasp comes out. Pain courses threw my body from my shoulder. He unlocks my shackles and slides them off.

"Don't move okay, I need to pull it out." he says looking at the knife in my shoulder. One hand reaches for the knife the other slips in to mine. I squeeze his hand hard as he yanks it out. A small cry slips my lips.

"If you hadn't moved when you did, it would have went right in to your heart," the tears were streaming down his face faster now, leaving pale streaks on his dirt covered face, so much like my own.

Tears soak my own face as well. I can't tell if its from the shock of loseing my family before my eyes, watching my brother almost kill another man, or the gash in my shoulder.

Because the stab was done with gold its going to take longer to heal. He helps me up and we walk very slowly down the hall, my good arm slung around his shoulders for support. Once or twice Wyatt and I have to hide to avoid being seen. This place is like a Labyrinth.

We turn one more corner, when we almost run in to a small hooded figure. The hood is just at the right angle to where we can't see their face. i open my mouth to say something but stop when I see something.

A single curl escapes the hood and catches the light. _It_ _can't_ _be_.

The figure pulls down their hood and Wyatt and I feel our breths escape us. A delicate, beautiful face with blue eyes looks back at us.

_Morgana._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

* * *

><p>"When Valentine and mother were talking, father finished the rune. It's not as pretty as yours are but it worked. I was still alive when they took both of you out. And the rune healed me," Morgana whispers. We have ducked in to an empty room while Morgana explains how she lived. "Then I followed Valentine and his men here to find you two, " she pauses. "They said they were going to kill you…" She glances at my blood soaked shirt and the way i hold my arm against me.<p>

My shoulder _is_ starting to feel better while she is talking. I dont think its healing, but the pain is more barable knowing she is alive. When she finishes, I look over at Wyatt. A smile dances across his lips despite everything. We wrap Morgana in a hug, though its painful for me. I am smiling for the first time in what feels like ages. _Morgana's alive. Alive. _I think.

"We need to get going," Wyatt says at last.

"Follow me, I think I remember how I got in this place," Morgana says.

Wyatt helps me up, and as we start to go out the door I stop.

"Wait, we need weapons," I say. They nod and we set off down the hall looking. We go by about two more doors when we find a huge weapons room.

Morgana grabs a bow and quiver full of arrows, Wyatt, a long light weight sword, and I grab two long twin battle daggers. We slip on some of the Shadowhunter gear, since all of our other clothes are tattered and dirty. I wince as I pull on my jacket.

"Okay lets go," I say.

We do pretty good going unnoticed, until Morgana trips and makes a small sound. By now every one in the building (or where ever we may be right now...) knows Wyatt and I have escaped and they are probably looking for us.

"Here-" Wyatt starts but cuts off when two Shadowhunters come around the corner. I draw my daggers from my belt and Wyatt pulls out his sword. The men draw their blades and run at us. The one closest to me lifts his sword above his head and slashes down aiming for my head. I cross my daggers in an "X" and catch the sword in the middle. The move hurts so bad I scream but its better than getting my head cut off. I thrust up my arms and the sword slings back behind the mans head. But its still in his hands. He regains his balance and brings the sword down to stab at me. I side-spin to the side gracefully, and the blade misses me by centimeters. He stumbles forward a little and I take my shot. I stab him in the one spot on a humans back where you can both crack their spine and pierce their heart. He falls to the ground, unmoving.

I turn and look at Wyatt just as he slashes the other mans chest, and he falls lifeless as well. Our attention turns to Morgana. About 15 feet away from her lies another Shadowhunter, a silver arrow threw his head. He must have come up behind us.

With out a word, we turn and run down the hall, Morgana leading us out. We only come across one more Shadowhunter, but before he even realizes who we are my dagger sinks its self in his chest. When we run by I swiftly pick it up and put it back in my belt with my good arm.

I feel like the floor is moving beneth me and I stumble putting my hand against the wall.

"Hadley whats wrong?" Wyatt whispers urgently.

"Nothing," I manage and force my self to keep moving.

We race by about 5 more doors, when we come to the exit. The door is huge, about 20 feet high and made out of a strange black metal, with runes carved in to it. With out any further hesitation, we bust threw the door in to the streaming sunlight. I have to blink several times before I adjust to the light, but I still never stop running.

Finally after about a quarter of a mile we stop and I start to fall twords the grass. Wyatt is behind me, catching me. His face is blurrry.

We have to cover of trees to our advantage, so Wyatt sits down with my head in his lap. He carefully slips my coat off my shoulder and pulls out a stele. He must have found it in the wepons room. I stare up into the trees as I feel the familiar burn of runes on my skin. My vision is getting clearer and my head stops pounding.

"This should help," Wyatt says. It does. I sit up with his help and look at Morgana. Her hand is in mine and I try to smile.

"May I see?" I ask Morgana. A look of confusion crosses her face. "The rune, I mean," I clarify.

"Oh," and she lifts up her cloak to reveal her delicate white skin. But right in the middle of the underside of her forearm, a hurriedly drawn immortality rune inks her skin. All I can do is nod. What is there to say?

After a few more minutes we get up and set out with a steady jog. Wyatt must have given me a strgenth rune because its not as bad now. After about 10 minutes, Wyatt stops dead in his tracks. So, abuptly I almost crash right in to him. He has a very concerned, questioning look on his face.

"Do you think Valentine will come after us, again?" he asks. I see no need to ponder his question.

"Yes," I say simply. And we head off over the hill.

**THE END**

**Don't you just **_**hate **_**a cliff hanger?**


End file.
